End Game and when to start it

[Psylentcuda]

So some of you may know me, some may not; but anyways I'm nearing the phase of the game where I can start doing god/HNM/ and god forbid dynamis in a few levels (I'm 65 BLM now). What level should I start looking for ls's and groups to do this type of stuff with? Oh and it'ld be a good idea to post what level dd's and tanks could start looking to do this type of stuff in case they are surfing the forums and run upon this topic.

 

[Passions]

your best to get to lvl 75 and do all the other stuff like get subs lvld and be rdy to do what the ls has ready for you when they say. End game is a lot like a frat, your schedule is made for you and your always with the same people.

some enjoy it some dont. i would still suggest waiting till 70+ if you cant wait till 75. your elemental magic is so low at 65 you'll be resisted more then not.

 

[Bajaratt]

Generally end-game is 70+. You can go to dynamis at 65, but you'll be resisted/miss a lot at that level and few linkshells will let you lot on AF at that point even if they let you join. Mages can generally go a couple levels earlier, but for melee and tanks it's almost always 70+.

 

[Rones]

70 is bare minimum for a useful blm end game. Don't worry about it until then. There are lots of shells, and if doubt check the ones recruiting in the ls forums here.

 

[Kiere]

How about for whm?

 

[etchdog2000]

Imma be honest. I joined an end-game LS at lvl 70, and I was far from being ready. Didnt have the equipment/subs/skills lvled to be very productive. Now a days there is a HUGE gap between people 75 and people that are 75 with full merits. I know the first couple things I did when I joined end-game to try and get on-par with others is lvl 2 sub jobs and skill up appropriate weapons(for me it was sword for SW).

Now for you being a BLM it is a lil different, you dont need as many sj combos as say a melee does. Basically the difference between a lvl 70 BLM and lvl 75 BLM with full merits is what, 251 base elemental skill and 292 base elemental skill? Thats alot. Of course most shells will gladly take you at 70. A BLM is a BLM is a BLM.

Depends on whether you feel ok going into a shell already at a big disadvantage or not.

 

[Psylentcuda]

yeah thanks for the info, I was just wanting to know becuase I hear it can be profitable for some and am gauging what I type of work it'll take... Plan on hitting 70 next week sometime(schools out for summer w00t) so I was trying to find out how long it would be until i "get into the moneys"

 

[Peregrine]

As far as dynamis goes, many shells don't care about level and effectiveness. They care about dedication, and I wish more shells would drop the prepwork. 65 now will be 75 within the month most likely, especially for a mage class.

If you're serious about dynamis I doubt any of the dynamis shells care what you nuke for or what your level is. Dynamis is about technical blance and not HQ force. They just want you there, with the right mindset, and that's more than enough for that activity.

 

[Bajaratt]

How about for whm?

Whm can probably get started at 65, because their level is probably the most irrelevant for anything related to endgame. Whm's very rarely cast anything on a mob, so resistances never really come up; the only place your level comes into play is with your spells, primarily cure 5, raise 3 and shellra 4. As long as a raise isn't needed, there's not all that much a 75 whm can do that a 65 whm can't; the 75's stats will be a little better, probably some better gear as well, but 65 whm can cure for the same as a 75 whm can, baring nobles. There's obviously some sweet gear you get at 70+ for any job, but for whm the difference isn't tremendous.

I started dynamis at 69 with dynamis pants, and basically just cured until I was 70+ and had raise 3(during the 1+ mil prices). I only tossed out raises during wipes, because there were other whm's with raise 3 available for the odd death. I was around 74 or so when I got invited to an hnm shell, but not for lack of trying.

This doesn't mean to try to find an endgame shell as soon as you ding to 65, but that of all the jobs at 65, whm is probably the biggest asset to any endgame activity. You'll want to be 70+ for some camps so you don't catch aggro, though.

 

[FleistLoC]

I'd say wait until you're 75 for any endgame activities, and have both WHM and RDM leveled to 37 first.

Yes endgame is like a frat of players you spend a lot of time with, but in an 18 man alliance to fight in sky, a KSBC99, or even in dynamis, every spot counts and every member counts. Dedication to any end-game LS is just as important as the victory and the rewards you receive from it. You can't get effective victories without maximizing your character's potential. Also if your nukes are resisted, you're just taking a spot that someone else could use to provide an effective victory with minimal casualties.

Don't be in a rush to get into an end-game LS because you lose a lot of your time due to the schedules the leaders place before you. Many times you sacrifice your personal goals for the greater good of your LS. Countless times we've all lost experience points, ate Raise 1's, just so we can get back in swinging again to get a the short-sighted victory. Then you come back the next day, die a couple more times, and realize you've come close to deleveling.

It takes a different mind-set to play that way, and until you're ready, don't do it. There will always be some LS recruiting players like yourself . . . just make sure you know what you're getting into.

The rewards are sweet, the friends you meet along the way are nothing short of spectacular, but again, it's a whole different type of playing than your casual experience points party from 1-75.

 

[Elemmire]

As far as dynamis goes, many shells don't care about level and effectiveness. They care about dedication, and I wish more shells would drop the prepwork. 65 now will be 75 within the month most likely, especially for a mage class.

If you're serious about dynamis I doubt any of the dynamis shells care what you nuke for or what your level is. Dynamis is about technical blance and not HQ force. They just want you there, with the right mindset, and that's more than enough for that activity.

agreed. People bitch and moan and say 70+ onry!! and forget that 65-70 really isn't too long (let alone 75). A week or 2 at best. I care about dedication. I want dedicated members and that's why I give 65+ a chance. So long as they are leveling outside of dynamis (hey, I'll even let them miss a dynamis if they are online as long as they are leveling). I'd rather not turn down members that'll be dedicated and hardworking because they aren't 70+. If you are dedicated and work hard, that'll get you somewhere in my LS.

 

[MajorHavoc]

How about for whm?

You, cannot participate in any endgame activities without us. :rtfm:

 

[Bajaratt]

I'd say wait until you're 75 for any endgame activities, and have both WHM and RDM leveled to 37 first.

Yes endgame is like a frat of players you spend a lot of time with, but in an 18 man alliance to fight in sky, a KSBC99, or even in dynamis, every spot counts and every member counts. Dedication to any end-game LS is just as important as the victory and the rewards you receive from it. You can't get effective victories without maximizing your character's potential. Also if your nukes are resisted, you're just taking a spot that someone else could use to provide an effective victory with minimal casualties.

Don't be in a rush to get into an end-game LS because you lose a lot of your time due to the schedules the leaders place before you. Many times you sacrifice your personal goals for the greater good of your LS. Countless times we've all lost experience points, ate Raise 1's, just so we can get back in swinging again to get a the short-sighted victory. Then you come back the next day, die a couple more times, and realize you've come close to deleveling.

It takes a different mind-set to play that way, and until you're ready, don't do it. There will always be some LS recruiting players like yourself . . . just make sure you know what you're getting into.

The rewards are sweet, the friends you meet along the way are nothing short of spectacular, but again, it's a whole different type of playing than your casual experience points party from 1-75.

QFT.

I didn't think about adjusting to the endgame mindset, it is entirely different than just logging on for a few hours and exping. Endgame is a timesink, when you join an endgame shell, the shell should come before your personal needs most of the time. If you don't have much time to afford to endgame, you probably won't enjoy it.

 

[Courtney]

Also, joining an endgame shell is likely to take a lot of your time. When the shell is camping, you're expected to be there, not out levelling.

At 65, you're only just past half way to 75 in experience (62-63 is half way...). Getting to 75 will be a lot easier before you join a HNM Shell, and you'll be a lot more effective there at 75.

Dynamis is a different matter though. It's once a week, with no other strings attached.

 

[Blabj]

Psy, I'd say, atleast for BLM, you're best waiting till 70 for dynamis. I started dynamis at 65 and for 5 levels I was mainly frustrated at my low damage (and stones have a natural 50%+ resist to elemental spells). Aswell as less MP which means you'll be resting when the level 70-75's will still be up and kicking ass. Plus you'll be on less hp (although this is debatable for a taru blm with rostrums and the like) so you'll be more prone to death if you pull hate. Plus, most of your good spells for nuking down stones aren't till 70 (stone IV isn't much good versus stones.).

Also, alot of dynamis shells have a level 70+ limit for lotting on AF2/100c, which means for the most part, dynamis for you will end up being alot of death and not alot of profit.

I'm not gonna start rambling about HNMs since I have no experience with any HNMs outside of sky and I don't think I have the authority to give you advice on the subject, although I think that most HNM shells will have a level 70+ level guide on them too, but this could change from shell to shell.



So, I'd say hold back on the end game activitys till 70, or even 73 if you can wait (don't worry, you're not missing an aweful lot). You'll get much more fun from having those couple of levels in your belt, especially in dynamis, which is a laugh at 73-75

 

[Elemmire]

twice a week

and fleist already said that it was time consuming and such (as others did)

 

[Courtney]

I wasn't aware of any Dynamis shells that require you to go twice a week for you to join. I guess there are some, but most will allow you to go just once a week.

 

[reddogneo]

Yup the right mind set is very important. Before I joined my first god ls BE I fuckin hated dieing the lose of xp did piss me off quiet a but. But after seeing entire alliances wipe from one meltdown you get kinda use to death (mainly because there alor of whmd with R3). The only time I took R3 seriously was when I was close to delvling but with a good enough buffer Ill take a R1 to get back in action faster.

As far as dedication and loylaty these lses take alot of your time. I offen find my sel trying to take on to many things at once with makes me look bad in the end. I tried maintaining xpin to lvl and keep buffer up a dynamis shell and god shells and at one point HNM shell to. If your considering joining endgame shells dont over load your plate like I did. I now dropped tring dynamis to focus on lvlin/merit and gods because I luv my social shell I cant ignore them thats still where im at most of the time. What ive noticed some of these endgame shells almost become alot of hl ppl new social shell. Ive been needing my Ohat for some time now and my god ls leader tells me to be in the ls more offen that ppl might be more willing to help me which is true.

Just be prepared to dedicate lots of time to your end game shell/s and lost lots of xp the rewards will be well worth it in the end once your all ubber.

 

[Psylentcuda]

What about the level I need to get to in order to try and complete my San d'Oria Mission, ZM Missions, and CoP Mission fully (i want to get statics to do em over the summer)

 

[Vondoom]

I'd say wait until you're 75 for any endgame activities, and have both WHM and RDM leveled to 37 first.

Yes endgame is like a frat of players you spend a lot of time with, but in an 18 man alliance to fight in sky, a KSBC99, or even in dynamis, every spot counts and every member counts. Dedication to any end-game LS is just as important as the victory and the rewards you receive from it. You can't get effective victories without maximizing your character's potential. Also if your nukes are resisted, you're just taking a spot that someone else could use to provide an effective victory with minimal casualties.

Don't be in a rush to get into an end-game LS because you lose a lot of your time due to the schedules the leaders place before you. Many times you sacrifice your personal goals for the greater good of your LS. Countless times we've all lost experience points, ate Raise 1's, just so we can get back in swinging again to get a the short-sighted victory. Then you come back the next day, die a couple more times, and realize you've come close to deleveling.

It takes a different mind-set to play that way, and until you're ready, don't do it. There will always be some LS recruiting players like yourself . . . just make sure you know what you're getting into.

The rewards are sweet, the friends you meet along the way are nothing short of spectacular, but again, it's a whole different type of playing than your casual experience points party from 1-75.

Awesome post. The most important thing, imo, is to get over dying. Your gonna die, your gonna eat a whole lot of R1's, and your gonna die some more. If you don't have it done yet, exp your RDM to 37 and start looking at what you need for a latent gear set. The difference from latent gear, I.E. Sorcers Ring, is very noticible. For instance, Uliwela and I were duo'ing those big-ass elephants in Wajoram Woods just yesterday. He was using latent gear, I was not. My Thunder IV was averaging 1200- whereas his was 1350-1400+. Both of us are max Thunder merits.

I would also caution patience. Fighting Gods isn't really all that exciting for everyone. There may be times where you stand there for an hour watching Kirin chase a PLD around the room and wonder, "Why am I here again?" Not every shell is going to flip out just because your a BLM, we're a dime a dozen in sky. Stay patient, stay focused, stay dedicated and you will reap rewards. Keep in mind that LS leaders have seen countless people come in, talk big, get their shit and bail.

Make sure to get your hands on a lot of gear. I personally run 58/60 on BLM when doing gods. You need elemental magic+, magc attk stuff, dark magic, enfeebling, healing, you name it, you'll need it. Always be ready to step into any role you might remotley need to temporarily fill because you never know who's going to get 1-shot, and sometimes a Light-Staff assisted Cure III could tip the scales for everyone.

Endgame is great, as stated in the above quote. You'll meet all kinds of new people and learn all kinds of new things. Take a look on the LS recruiting boards here at qcdn, additionally, look in peoples sigs for links to their LS websites and do some trolling.